The 1961 St. Petersburg, Florida tornado was an F2 tornado that impacted the city of St. Petersburg, Florida, on May 5, 1961. The tornado, which only touched down briefly, struck the Northeast High School and the nearby Meadowlawn neighborhood in the extreme north part of St. Petersburg. The parent thunderstorm that spawned the tornado was also attended by hail up to .75 inches (1.9 cm) in diameter. The tornado traveled 0.5 miles (0.80 km) through the north side of St. Petersburg and produced a path 50 yards (46 m) wide.